Khaberni - The Criminal Court in Paris started on Monday the trial of ten defendants accused of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, after they posted online claims alleging she was a man, not a woman.
This court, held in France based on a lawsuit filed by Brigitte Macron in August 2024, alongside a lawsuit in the United States, comes four years after the widespread spread and rumors propagated by conspiracy theorists and the far-right.
In the absence of the plaintiff, eight men and two women, aged between 41 and 60, appeared in court accused of posting several offensive comments about Brigitte Macron's "gender," and considering her emotional connection with Emmanuel Macron when he was a teenager as falling under the category of "sexual assaults on children," given that she is years older than him, according to the Paris public prosecutor.
These rumors originated since Emmanuel Macron's election in 2017 and spread widely in the United States, where the president and his wife pressed charges this summer against blogger Candice Owens for defamation.
Several of those being tried in Paris for cyberbullying recounted posts by the American podcast star, who has millions of social media followers and is the author of a video series titled "Becoming Brigitte." Among her most famous posts is a fake cover of "Time" magazine showing Brigitte Macron as "Man of the Year."
It is noted that some of the defendants are very active on social media, and sometimes their posts receive tens of thousands of views.
